It has happened. The Olympics have officially turned me into a curling fan. I've watched far more of the curling coverage than that of any other sport and I've thoroughly enjoyed it. I must now start petitioning DirecTV to start carrying the Canadian networks so I don't have to wait another four years to watch again. In case you were wondering, the world championships for the women are next month in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. The men play in Italy in April.
Some Websites for those of you interested in pursuing my new interest with me:
World Curling Federation
USA Curling
USA Curling also has a facebook fan page.
A few of the selling points for curling and the Olympic coverage thereof:
- Almost all of the coverage has been live.
- Far less of the human interest garbage you see in the mainstream broadcast. I like Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams but NBC has literally hours of event coverage which they could and should be airing instead of interviewing them.
- Blowouts are brought to a timely and merciful end as concession beyond the sixth end is expected as a matter of etiquette.
- Etiquette. Everyone is really very pleasant with each other. In a different context, one can easily imagine the players standing around the ice with a beer in hand - not recommended for bobsledding.
- Safety - no need for helmets in this one.
- The clothes are surprisingly cool - and far more tasteful than figure skater garb.
- Ample opportunities for jokes about rocks and stones.
- Strategy is fairly straightforward and easy to understand. That said, how anyone gets a 42-pound rock to move the way s/he wants it to is extraordinary to me.
- Men's and women's competitions are equally competitive and compelling - not so for ice hockey, where only the USA/Canada gold medal match offers much suspense on the women's side.
- Any game in which you get to yell at people to sweep has got to be satisfying.
I realize that my interest is likely to wane as soon as the Games are over but for me, this is what the Olympics are all about: learning about sports you don't get to see the rest of the time.
Our Girl beat Ravenclaw and Slytherin yesterday. We've got Gryffindor in our sights this morning. The game has renewed her interest in the books and I think we may spend some time reading them this week.
Showing posts with label quidditch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quidditch. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Press Start to Begin: Quidditch
We crossed a threshold as a family yesterday by introducing Our Girl to my Playstation 2. My daughter and I are both on February break this coming week and My Wife suggested it as a good time to try it on her. The addictive power is clearly potent. We've already set clear limits: one hour a day, tops and only on weekends or vacation days. I don't want her to be the kid who spends her entire day in front of the TV. It's too late for me...
I've had the PS2 for quite a few years now and, as luck would have it, I happen to have a few child appropriate games in my collection. I started her on Wallace & Gromit: Project Zoo. We are big W&G fans at our house. It was the one game My Wife and I used to play together before parenthood took over our lives. It's a nice game for Our Girl to be able to explore the controls without any time pressure.
Next we tried Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup. That one was a bit more challenging for her but she did alright with it. She seems to prefer W&G for the moment.
The Harry Potter series is exceptional for numerous reasons but I think J.K. Rowling deserves considerable praise for inventing a genuinely viable sport within her wizard world. In 2001, she published Quidditch Through the Ages under the pseudonym of fictitious Quidditch expert Kennilworthy Whisp. All proceeds from the book went to charity. I think it has since gone out of print but if you can find a copy, it's a lot of fun.
Undeterred by the inability to fly, college students around the country have adapted the game of Quidditch to Muggle limitations. Middlebury College in Vermont hosted the third annual Quidditch World Cup this past fall. The Intercollegiate Quidditch Association has both a Website and a facebook fan page. Perhaps we'll need to check it out this fall.
I've had the PS2 for quite a few years now and, as luck would have it, I happen to have a few child appropriate games in my collection. I started her on Wallace & Gromit: Project Zoo. We are big W&G fans at our house. It was the one game My Wife and I used to play together before parenthood took over our lives. It's a nice game for Our Girl to be able to explore the controls without any time pressure.
Next we tried Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup. That one was a bit more challenging for her but she did alright with it. She seems to prefer W&G for the moment.
The Harry Potter series is exceptional for numerous reasons but I think J.K. Rowling deserves considerable praise for inventing a genuinely viable sport within her wizard world. In 2001, she published Quidditch Through the Ages under the pseudonym of fictitious Quidditch expert Kennilworthy Whisp. All proceeds from the book went to charity. I think it has since gone out of print but if you can find a copy, it's a lot of fun.
Undeterred by the inability to fly, college students around the country have adapted the game of Quidditch to Muggle limitations. Middlebury College in Vermont hosted the third annual Quidditch World Cup this past fall. The Intercollegiate Quidditch Association has both a Website and a facebook fan page. Perhaps we'll need to check it out this fall.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)